Tinubu will not dump Wike over Rivers crisis, Fayose insists

Former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, has said President Bola Tinubu will not sacrifice the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, for Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, amid the lingering political crisis in the state.

Fayose made the assertion during an interview on Arise Television on Tuesday while commenting on the power tussle between Fubara and his predecessor, Wike, which has continued to fuel political instability in Rivers State.

According to Fayose, Wike remains more politically valuable to President Tinubu than the incumbent Rivers governor, arguing that the President has little incentive to abandon the former governor. “But let me say this to Nigerians, the Asiwaju that I know will not get rid of a Wike for a Fubara. Wike came from Rivers to give support to President Tinubu,” Fayose said.

He said Wike’s relevance to the President is linked to his performance as FCT minister and his ability to deliver electoral victories for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

“Wike is in Abuja performing; we’ve never had it so good in Abuja. Even a blind man can’t deny that,” Fayose said, adding that the APC’s victories in recent local government elections in Rivers State and prospects in the FCT were tied to Wike’s influence.

Fayose’s comments come amid impeachment proceedings initiated by the Rivers State House of Assembly against Governor Fubara. The lawmakers accused the governor of gross misconduct, including the demolition of the assembly complex, extra-budgetary spending and alleged defiance of a Supreme Court ruling on legislative autonomy.

The political crisis, which began in late 2023, is rooted in a struggle for control of the state’s political structure, including the Peoples Democratic Party apparatus and the state legislature. While the assembly has denied acting at Wike’s instigation, Fayose suggested that Fubara’s reported move to seek President Tinubu’s intervention reflected political miscalculation.

Fayose also dismissed claims that President Tinubu was responsible for the internal crisis within the PDP, describing the opposition party as weakened by self-inflicted divisions and internal conflicts.